Within the Shadows
by Darkdemoncreator
Summary: Within the building that once held cherished memories for him, Henry roams within it's halls, trying to figure out what happened to this place that caused it to become so twisted. While exploring danger ends up finding him, but this danger leads him to a discovery that he never expected to find.
1. An Unexpected Discovery

**Arthur's note: This is my interpretations of the characters. Some events may not be one hundred percent canon, but I will try to go along with the canon as much as possible and as much as it will allow the story to flow well. Reviews will be appreciated so I know if people actually like this story or not. There will be multiple chapters, so be certain to check in once in a while if you're interested in the story.  
**

 _Running...running...running_.

He ran for what felt like an eternity. Running and running and running until he finally found sanctuary behind a locked door. Slamming this door, the groaning of the strange creatures and the sound of their bodies splattering against the wooden door were the only sounds he could hear over the heavy pounding of his heart. He leaned against the door, each breath coming out quickly as he struggled against their vicious attacks upon the door, certain that the door will break from the force of their strikes.

But to his relief...the pounding stopped and the door remained standing. His hands were pressed against them, so much so that he couldn't feel the aching within his reddened palms that should have been there obviously at this rate. He just stood there for a moment as his head lowered, trying to catch his breath. He focused upon the floor before he closed his eyes and slowly loosened the pressure upon his hands and began to slowly slide down the door's form, soon turning his back upon the door and resting it there as his arms came to rest at his sides.

Now all he could hear was his own ragged breaths along with the pounding of his own heart.

By god...how did this place become so... _corrupt_? So twisted and vile? He knew it has been a while since he came to this place...but...this place is nothing like it used to be. He used to feel happy, nostalgia allowing him to see the beauty of this old building. But ever since he came back everything just felt... **wrong**. Which wasn't _right_ either. Nothing in this place should feel wrong.

 _But yet it does_.

"Joey...what have you done..."

Henry said this before leaning his head back against the door, swallowing once before before he opened his eyes. He began to furrow his brows noticing a strange sensation upon his hand. He raised a single hand and looked at his palm, his eyes widening when he saw that it was covered in ink, fresh ink. He suddenly stood up and looked down, noticing that there was fresh ink leaking underneath it's from...ink...from those vicious monstrosities that chased him down.

He seemed to just stare at the ink for a moment before a loud metallic bang caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. Henry spun around to look at the long, dark hallway before him.

"Of course...of course the lights would be out..."

Henry lowered his ink covered hand, lowering it to his side once again before he looked down towards his axe that he dropped in his heist. He kneeled down and picked up, gripping the ink splattered weapon tightly within his hands, the axe being the one thing that provided any form of comfort for him in this twisted nightmare of a place he once loved. Slowly he walked, each step taking great effort, his nerves trying to tie him down in one spot. Closer and closer he went near the seemingly endless darkness. Further and further he went away from the comforting light.

Then, just as he was about to enter the shadows, he saw a form begin to rise from within it's form. Henry quickly stumbled back and raised his axe, ready to strike at what ever beast that decided to try to tear him apart. He tried to look fearless in the face of what ever horror readied to lunge out at him, but the fear he held back turned into confusion as the form turned. He saw the dull shine of dirtied metal first before noticing that the form...was like that of a human's...not a cartoony one...no, a real life human. He didn't see a mask...but he noticed that the silhouette seemed to hold...cans, cans of bacon soup. There were at least eight in this figure's arms. They looked slightly worn out, yet they were perfectly sealed.

Henry furrowed his brows as he noticed this, slightly lowering his axe before speaking.

"..H-hello? ...Who are you?"

The figure seemed to just stare at him before a strangely familiar voice sounded out to him.

"...I'll let you try to take a guess. People..talk allot about me around here."

Henry's gaze narrowed slightly before he swallowed once. That voice...why did it sound so familiar? Did he...know him?

"I'm not in the mood to play games...w-who are you?"

He said this with a bit of aggression in his tone, the figure soon shaking his head before he lets out a light sigh.

"Alright, alright, seesh. I'm coming out...just don't hit me with that ...alright?"

The figure said this, Henry soon nodding once as he lowered his axe before he saw the figure move into the dim light. As the figure moved into the light, he saw a man in a suit, with a white undershirt and a white bow-tie, and black slicked back hair, emerged into view.

"It's ...been a while...huh?"

It was then that Henry's eyes widened as he dropped his axe, the heavy weapon landing without a loud metallic clang.

"... ** _Joey_**?"


	2. Sanctuary?

**Author's note: Welcome to the second chapter, I hope you guys are all enjoying it. If you want to leave a review, then go ahead, it would be nice to see people's opinion of this story so far.**

" _ **Joey**_?"

His words were filled with disbelief and surprise, staring at the man before him with widened eyes filled even more disbelief then his words held. Taking a single step back out of instinct, his brows began to furrow as confusion began to once again slink into his mind.

 _Joey...he's...alive, he's alive and actually here._

Henry soon took a step forward as he lets out a single shaky breath, fear still lingering strongly within his mind, mixing within the surprise, disbelief and confusion that's swirling about in his mind. Soon enough, he began to realize that he was staring at him. Yet he couldn't find any words to speak through the cloud of confusion...for a moment anyway.

Joey on the other hand stood there in the silence, narrowing his gaze a bit before he raised a single brow when he noticed Henry stepping back. Then his brows raised when he actually began to speak.

"Joey...you're...alive."

Henry finally found his words through the fog of confusion within his mind, managing to take a single step towards him.

"Yeah...it's...it's a miracle huh? Considering...well..you can guess why."

Joey said this before he gestured his head to the two men's surroundings, Henry's eyes shifting once towards the side before he nods once. Then he lightly shook his head before his widened gaze narrowed.

"What's going on here? What's happened to this place? Why is everything so...-"

"Wrong?"

Joey interrupted as his brows straightened.

"Yes."

Henry said, his tone filled with confusion and slight panic, his tone gaining a bit of irritation in it at the confirmation.

"...That's a rather long story...one that...I can't really remember allot of the beginning of. If I am to be honest."

Henry couldn't help but furrow his brows once again. How could he not remember? ...Did whatever happen here happen a while ago? Or did something else happen to him to make him forget?

"What do you mean you can't remember?"

Joey closed his eyes before he shook his head, looking towards the ground for a moment before he opened his eyes again.

"Look...allot has happened here, my mind is scrambled from everything, not to mention...I'm rather hungry. Why don't you follow me, I might be able to think straight if I'm someplace...less in the open."

Joey said this as he looked towards a rather confused Henry once again. Henry began to grow a mixture of concerned and suspicious, uncertain about Joey's suggestion. But, it was the only chance he had that would allow him to at least try to get, at the very least, a glimpse of what happened to corrupt this place so badly. So...he agreed to follow him, swallowing once before he did so.

Joey motioned him to follow as he lead both of them into the darkness. Henry paused for only a moment to pick up the axe he dropped, making sure to keep a good hold of it as he followed Joey into the darkness. If it wasn't for Joey's footsteps and his orders of direction, Henry would have never found his way through the shadows without some form of light. Though Henry was surprised that Joey could even see, for he knew that he himself couldn't. Joey couldn't have been more than a few inches away from him, yet he couldn't even see the outline of his form. But yet Joey didn't seem at all effected by the darkness around him.

Left, right, left, right. It felt like they were just wandering in circles for hours, but they weren't. For they soon came across their destination, a door with a dim, flickering light hanging above it. Henry only knew this was their destination due to Joey stopping and shifting the cans in his arms, managing to balance them in one arm full as he reached for the door handle and pushed on it.

Henry was ready to help him, but yet Joey made no move to even try to let him help, managing to open it. Though as he opened it a single can fell from the pile, Henry almost immediately lunging for the can and managing to catch it, though he almost fell himself. Joey watched as he stood up and presented the can to him, though Joey simply smiled before he spoke.

"You can have that one, I was planning on giving you one anyway."

He said this before entering the room, Henry simply raising a brow before he lightly shrugged and cautiously began to follow him in. Upon entering the room, he couldn't help but raise his brows when he saw a pile of empty bacon soup cans in the corner. The room itself was dimly lit, with only a single light in the center providing any kind of light. Though it wasn't completely empty, it actually had a couple of chairs, along with a stitched up blanket. There was also a small, rather old looking, table marked with light scratches and some sort of strange...black.. _substance_. Henry could guess that the table got covered by ink...just like everything else in this place. Upon this table looked to be some sort of knife, though it's blade was covered in some sort of substance, which almost looked black...but yet had a strange tone to it that he couldn't quite determine.

Joey placed the cans of bacon soup upon the ground beside the table before going over to the chairs and grabbing one, dragging it over to the table as he swiftly turned it to face said table. Henry watched for a moment as Joey dragged the other chair and swiftly turned that one to face the table. He almost seemed to do so with out any true effort, rather quickly too.

When Joey finished arranging the chairs, he offered the seat with the back towards the door and facing the pile of empty cans. Henry sat in the chair offered to him, looking behind him to make sure no one, or something, was going to sneak up behind him. Then he turned towards where Joey would sit, almost jumping when the door was suddenly closed, glancing over his shoulder as Joey came into view again and went to sit in his chair, grabbing a can of bacon soup.

Henry placed the can given to him on the table, putting his axe on the side of his chair, before gripping the can with both hands as he gently tapped on it's sides. Though Joey seemed to waste no time in using the knife to stab into the can he gathered, ripping it open before presenting it Henry. Henry took the knife and began to work at trying to get it to open, though struggled considerably.

Joey watched him as he struggled to open his can, soon taking a drink from the one he held before he spoke.

"So...what exactly do you want to know?"

Henry focused upon the can for a moment, finally managing to pierce the can's lid. He began to gather his thoughts, the comfort of being somewhere...at least safer than the halls of the building allowing him to actually think straight enough to think about what exactly he wanted to ask. Then he looked up towards Joey, knowing exactly what questions he wanted to ask.


	3. An Unusual Conversation

_**Author's Note: This one gave me a bit of trouble when coming up with a good ending for the chapter, but I think the one I managed to get worked out well. I'm glad to see people wanting to see more of this story. Do not worry, there will be much more to come. But that will come in due time, until then, enjoy and be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter when it comes out.**_

Joey awaited patiently for Henry to ask his questions, taking another drink of his can of bacon soup as he lightly tapping upon the table's top, soon looking off to the side for a moment. Then when Henry began to speak again, his nearly pure black eyes focused upon Henry once again almost immediately.

"...What happened to everyone here?"

Joey raised a single brow before he spoke.

"Well...most are...around...somewhere in here. I haven't been able to find most of them...and those I did find I ended up trying to stay away from...and then there's others who...let's just say they aren't...here...anymore. Honestly everyone's just scattered about this building...it's hard to even try to keep track of them...if I did that in the first place."

Henry tilted his head. The tone Joey used a bit more calm and collected then he expected from someone who's assumably hiding away in some abandoned room in the depths of the art studio.

"What do you mean that they're not here anymore? Did they leave?"

Joey looked off to the side for a moment, lightly biting his lip for only a second before he shook his head and focused upon him once again.

"No...they didn't. If it was possible to leave this place, no one would be here...it's more like...they...disappeared."

 _Again_ with that strange calmness, as if talking about people who are literally trapped here disappearing is nothing unusual. Henry couldn't help but narrow his gaze as he placed his hands upon their backs, his brow soon furrowing before he spoke.

"And you're perfectly calm about that? That doesn't seem even the littlest odd?"

Joey couldn't help but roll his own eyes before his own eyes narrowed.

"Oh you're one to talk, Mister, I am perfectly calm about falling down a hole that could have broken my legs."

His tone actually held a little bit of irritation, Henry soon raised a single brow as he stared at Joey for a moment.

How did he know that he fell down a hole?

"...How...how did you know about that?"

Joey simply stayed quiet for a moment before he shifted his gaze away from Henry for a moment before he took a drink of his bacon soup. Then he lightly tapped on it's side before he spoke in a soft tone, saying the words rather quickly.

"...Word travels quickly around here..."

Henry sharpened his gaze before his brows furrowed once again.

"...That-"

Before he could even finish his sentence Joey interrupted after finishing off his can of bacon soup.

"Man this bacon soup is some good stuff, don't you agree?"

Henry couldn't help but narrow his gaze more before he nodded once.

"...Yeah...it is..."

He said this before picking up his can and taking a drink, though when he took a drink he had to keep himself from gagging and spitting it out, forcefully swallowing it before he coughed a little. This can tasted very differently from the ones he found before. It was...thicker and had a very strange...almost gritty taste.

"Good huh?"

He heard Joey say this, Henry nodding once before coughing once again to clear his throat.

"Thicker than what I expected it to be."

He said this before coughing again. That...taste... it's definitely an acquired one.

"Well it's a different batch then before, I personally like this one allot better, it hits the spot. Only problem is that it always leaves me wanting more. But, that's why I got multiple cans."

Henry raised a brow. Different batch? What does he mean by different batch?

"Different batch?"

Joey nodded once.

"Yeah, different batch, different kinds if you will. It used to be like the normal kind, all thin and what not. But I noticed that they started to get better as time went on. I think this is the best one yet."

He said this before tossing it into the pile in the corner behind him, Henry looking over Joey's shoulder as he saw the can bounce against the pile and land at the bottom, his brows furrowing once again before he looked towards Joey.

"...How long have you been trapped in here?"

Joey leaned over to grab another full can from the pile beside the table, soon looking over towards Henry at his question before he shrugged a little as he tapped on the top of the can.

"I've been here for a while...I honestly couldn't tell you just how long...but long enough to know that it's been a while."

"So I see..."

He noticed that Henry looked towards the can pile behind him before he motions towards the pile with his head. Catching Henry's attention once again.

"That's just from a week you know."

Henry's eyes widened when Joey spoke about all of those cans being from just a week. He would have guessed months, but just a week? He couldn't help but furrow his brows. How could anyone eat that much and not feel sick or at least show a bit?

"That's just from a week? ...Are you certain?"

Joey rolled his eyes a little.

"Yes I'm certain, how could I not be?"

Henry began to just stare at him before blinking once.

"Like I said before, these things aren't that filling. They're delicious, but you need allot just to satisfy your hunger."

Joey shrugged after he spoke this before he focused on the can, grabbing the knife Henry placed down upon the table before stabbing into it. His answer did not remove any of the confusion swirling about Henry's mind, who just looked towards him before looking at the pile of cans before looking at him once again. He looked towards the can of bacon soup he had within his own, looking at the now nearly pure black rim of the can. His eyes narrowed as he focused upon the black rim, noticing that it was some sort of strange substance. Though as he focused more on it he could see that it was more of a deep...strange rust coloring...deeper then the substance that laid upon the once silver form of the knife he used to open it.

 _He doesn't remember bacon soup looking like that._

He swallowed once, feeling paranoia begin to grip at his mind before he jumped at the sound of metal slamming on wood. At least...it sounded like it was slammed to him. But yet it almost seemed like it wasn't. For when he quickly looked up towards Joey with widened eyes and a bit of fear within his eyes, Joey looked very much confused and concerned.

"Hey...are you okay? You jumped like a startled rabbit."

Henry simply shook his head, nodding once before he spoke, seeming to focus on the table as he tried to steady his voice.

"Y-yes, I'm fine...I'm fine...I just...confused..."

Joey nodded in understanding before he lightly tapped on the can before he mumbled beneath his breath.

"...You and me both..."

Henry looked towards Joey, though he did not speak, he simply looked towards him as his brows furrowed once again. It was difficult to see within the room itself due to the lack of proper lighting. But something he began to realize was that...despite this place being covered in ink and everything being damaged, Joey managed to keep himself clean. Maybe it's because of his clothing being mostly black... or maybe he somehow cleaned off his clothing on a regular basis, considering how bright white his shirt and bow tie is. He began to notice that the man before him actually wore gloves too...white gloves. He would have expected those to show some sign of being at least a little bit dirtied, but even those were pure white.

Was he somehow never attacked by whatever fiends lurk within this building? ...No, no that can't be true, because he was here when everything went wrong. He had to be here. He had to at least trend through ink to even get in here...so how did he manage to clean himself within a building without anything actually clean one off? Or was there some place where one could clean themselves and Henry hasn't found it yet?

Henry himself had ink splatters and ink completely marking his now nearly pitch black pants...Maybe Joey was lucky enough to not get any ink on his gloves and shirt somehow. That could be possible...perhaps. But it was still strange.

Though what was stranger...is his eyes. His eyes changed...Henry recognizes this now. He remembered Joey having _blue_ eyes...but as he looked towards his face, he noticed that his eyes were now _black_. It must be the lighting...it's the only thing he could use to explain how his eye coloring changed.

Though his whole personality and attitude was strange...how could anyone be so calm and nonchalantly about everything that's going on? The way he acts...it's as if nothing really terrible has happened. As if there wasn't something wrong and twisted happening within the walls, dark symbols marking said walls that no doubtly had vile deeds occur before them to appease this...demon, this wicked beast that was somehow brought into this world, the only things that wasn't cruel and twisted that he found so far being Boris...and Joey.

 _Joey...what has happened to you?_


	4. The Plot Thickens

_**Author's note: Hey guys! I must apologize for this one taking a while, I was having problems trying to actually get it to piece together as well as the other three did, but after a while I finally managed to do it. I plan on getting to the next chapter as soon as I publish this, so make sure to stay tuned and I hope you enjoy yourselves and the content you came here to see.**_

What has happened to this place...to twist the minds of those who once worked happily here to such a degree to change their very mind set. First Sammy...now Joey. It was clear now that something had to have happened to him...to cause him to be so calm and relaxed about the fact that people have either disappeared or gone insane. But what happened? That is the question Henry wanted to have answered...yet it never gets answered. No, it just gets dismissed immediately and replaced with a change of topic.

Joey must think that Henry doesn't notice...how he tends to avoid the topic of how he even knew about Henry falling down the hole. But Henry noticed, he definitely noticed. How could he not when his question was purposely placed aside for a comment about this...supposed...bacon soup. The bacon soup barely even tastes like bacon soup...perhaps it's gone south or something. Was that even possible with bacon soup? Henry has never heard of someone allowing that to happen. Of course...before he came back here...there was allot of things he's never heard about.

Joey...he couldn't help but just become more and more confused by him. Henry knows it's been thirty years since he's seen Joey...but he's certainly changed allot more then he could have ever thought a friend of his could.

Henry found himself focusing his gaze upon the table's form, the drinks he took of the bacon soup seeming to lay thickly upon the inside of his throat, almost as if it was coating it somehow. It made it difficult to swallow normally, little lone actually drink the substance itself, his body seeming to physically dislike it, for Henry could feel the urge to vomit rising, though he resisted it. He knows that he needs some form of food...and things are unpleasant enough without him spewing regurgitated bacon soup everywhere. So he had to harshly swallow once in a while, his green eyes narrowing as his thoughts swarmed his now aching mind. How Joey managed to drink so much of this stuff without feeling absolutely sick is another question he wished he knew the answer to.

Joey looked towards him, noticing how quiet he has become suddenly and deep in thought he seemed to be. Looking towards him as Henry seemed to just take a sudden interest in the splintered wood of the table. Joey couldn't help but furrow his brows a bit before cleared his throat and spoke.

"...Urm...are you alright? ...I know allot of strange things have happened...but that's no reason to just stare at tables. Seriously, tables aren't even that interesting."

Henry slowly looked towards Joey, his narrowed gaze focusing on the other man before he spoke, his tone showing a bit of irritation within it.

"Strange things? No, no, no...the things that I've seen and have happened to me go far beyond "strange", for the love of god I was chased by a _DEMON_ and not a very cartoony one at that."

Joey lets out a light snort before he took a sip out of his can.

"Well, that's pretty strange, right? If not strange, then what would you call it, huh?"

Henry straightened his form completely before exclaiming.

"Insanity! That's what I call it."

Joey simply raised a brow, just now realizing just how much all of what happened effected Henry. Though he didn't really remark on it.

"Well I wouldn't go that far."

Henry noticed how calm Joey was still. He would have thought he'd be showing some sign of being nervous or something, but he was just...calm, why was he so calm?

"Good god Joey, how can you just sit there and act like nothing horrifying is happening?!"

Joey's black eyes narrowed before he placed his can of bacon soup on the table and crossed his arms.

"Calm down will you? Flipping your lid isn't going to help anything."

Henry just stared at him with furrowed brows as he lightly shook his head.

"Look...I am fully...aware...of how..bad things are as of late. How could I not be? I've been stuck in here for...I don't even know how long. But trust me when I say...it could be allot worse."

Henry's gaze sharpened before he quickly shook his head.

"Yeah, sure...being hunted down by monsters is just a minor annoyance. Hmph. How the hell could it get any worse?"

Henry then crossed his own arms in front of his chest. Joey on the other hand placed a single gloved hand upon the table, his narrowed gaze not moving from Henry's face.

"You could have been torn to shreds...have your entrails spread about the halls. That's how it could get worse. You also could have ran into something not as friendly as I am... _Henry_."

Joey said this before grabbing his can of bacon soup and took a final sip out of it as Henry widened his gaze before blinking once, his stance slowly relaxing as he furrowed his brows. The tone of Joey's voice grew rather...dark...when he spoke of what could have happened to him, though towards the second sentence his voice become less dark and simply more serious...but that dark vibe still lingered. This dark tone actually managed to unnerve Henry a little, causing him to stay quiet for a moment as he watched Joey throw another empty can into the metallic pile behind him. After the can rolled to the base of the pile, he soon cleared his throat before he spoke.

"...Y-yeah...I guess that is...worse...at..at least with you here, I'm not alone in this whole disaster.."

Joey soon lets out a light sigh before he shook his head a little and lets out another snort.

"Well...I think disaster is underselling it..."

He said this before reaching over to grab yet another can of bacon soup, stabbing it open effortlessly and taking almost no time to drink from it. Henry on the other hand stared at Joey for a moment before his gaze shifted towards the side.

 _Joey...what one earth did you do to this place... **and yourself?**_

Joey looked towards Henry, noticing how...distraught and confused he looked. Lightly tapping on the can he held as he tried to think, he soon came up with an idea to try to get Henry's mind off of things...or at least focus on something else at the very least.

"I think a walk is in order. Something to help settle your mind a bit, what do you say?"

Henry couldn't help but blink a little, soon looking towards Joey with straightened brows as he lightly tilted his head.

"But...we just got here?"

Joey shrugged a little.

"I know, but there's no harm in getting to know the area around where you are, probably, going to stay for a while. Right?"

Henry soon lowered his head before he shook his head, raising a single hand and running it through his brown hair with a rather tired sounding sigh.

"Maybe later...but not right now... I've had a really long day...and I'm just wanting to stay some place safe for a little...this place is safe..right?"

Henry kept his head lowered but his eyes shifted towards the other man, questioning him with just a gaze, even though he asked the very question his eyes wished to ask. Joey nodded, seeming to answer his question before actually speaking.

"Well of course, trust me when I say it's very safe...I make sure of that."

Henry nodded once before he lets out a light breath.

"Thank god..."

A snort left Joey's nostrils before he tapped a single finger upon his own chin, soon nodding once, as if he just silently agreed to some unknown event that occurred within his own mind.

"Luckily, I think I have a place for you to rest. Though tomorrow, we're taking a walk alright? Whether you like it or not, I just found you and I'm not leaving you alone in this place. Besides...you'll thank me for it later, I assure you."

Henry looked up towards Joey with a slightly narrowed gaze before he shrugged.

"...That's fine...maybe I'll be able to handle this hell hole with a bit more energy..."


	5. A Rude Awakening

**Arthur's Note: I would like to apologize for how long it took for me to actually fully complete this chapter, things caught up and everything became a bit time consuming. But, I hope to keep that from happening. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and do not worry, I will not take months to make the next chapter, I promise. You all are wonderful for sticking by and waiting so patiently. So without further ado, I shall let you get to reading, let me know if you see any mistakes, like whole words missing or something, I have a bad tendency of doing that, although kind of rarely it does happen. Stay tuned for the next chapter which will be coming soon hopefully.**

* * *

Slumbering within a wooden chair, Henry sat there, a old blanket placed upon his shoulders. Slumbering...dreaming, dreaming of this that...were less than pleasant. The corruption of this twisted place seeming to have snuck into his very mind. Images of flooding halls and vile fiends causing him to curl up and cling to the blanket around him. But soon the terrors got far too much for him mind, causing Henry to wake up with scream before nearly falling out of his chair, looking around frantically as he seemed to search for the very fiend that frightened him awake. But as he looked around all he could see was...darkness...darkness and an empty chair. Henry couldn't help but blink as he breathed heavily, the blanket placed upon him somehow managing to cling to him despite him nearly falling, raising a single, shaking hand to smooth down his hair as he focused on the ground for a moment.

He struggled to think straight as he coughed once, soon placing a single hand upon his forehead as he tried his best to steady his breathing. Once he managed to calm himself...somewhat, he looked up, furrowing his brows when he saw that Joey wasn't in the chair beside him. It was Joey's idea to use the chairs as makeshift beds, though he remembered Joey being the one with the blanket, since Henry insisted that he'd be the one to use it. It was a bit odd to try to sleep sitting up, but it was better then sleeping on the floor at the very least.

...But where was Joey?

Henry would have expected Joey to be here, after all...Joey was not really one for waking up early. Then again...Joey has been awfully...different as of late.

Henry remained seated, searching the shadows for any sign of were Joey could be. But he couldn't see him, his vision still slightly blurry from not adjusting to the darkness yet. He jumped when he heard a can fall from the pile in the corner, a light sigh leaving him before he stood up, stretching as he continued to look around. He started to become more confused as he cleared his throat.

"Joey?"

His voice echoed out into the darkness, his eyes adjusting somewhat to the room's shadows. Though something he almost immediately noticed...was that the room almost seemed to be darker then before. His brows furrowed as he swallowed once, memories from the days before beginning to arise, causing him to back up a little.

"Henry."

A strange, almost high pitched voice mixed with a unnatural growl emitted from directly behind him, causing Henry to jump and quickly turn around, nearly stumbling onto the ground as raised his arms to his side and his hands balled up into fists as he readied to defend himself from the unknown threat behind him. But when he turned around he's met with a almost startled Joey who quickly raises his hands to show that he meant no harm to the scared man before him.

"Whoa! Whoa, easy there buddy it's just me...jeez."

Henry was even more confused, his eyes shifting about behind Joey before they focused him, Henry's position relaxing a little as he lets out a single breath.

"Jesus... J-Joey...I..I'm sorry. I...I think I'm beginning to hear things because of this place...I thought you were...someone...or something else...at first.."

Joey soon lowered his arms as he watched Henry slowly raise a single hand and place said hand upon his own forehead.

"...How would something else even get in here?"

A confused Joey said this before he raised a single brow as Henry then quickly shook his head and then spoke with a slight amount of frustration in his voice.

"Who knows with this hell hole."

Joey straightened his brows before he lets out a light sigh and walked up to Henry before slowly and gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Henry, there's nothing to worry about here. Trust me, I've been going to this little hidey hole for a while now, nothing besides you and me can get in here randomly. Especially without me noticing. My hearing is top notch, not to mention my decent night vision."

Joey removed the hand from Henry's should as he placed his hands on either side of the collar of his suit, giving a reassuring smile towards the other male who looked at him with slightly furrowed brows before he himself sighed softly and nodded.

"...Right, right...of course. There...would have been some sign of something being here...right?"

Henry's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze begging Joey for a bit more assurance. Joey nods and gently reached out and patted his shoulder.

"That's right buddy. I mean...the creatures around here aren't exactly the most...silent guys you know. Ever heard one of those freaky ink..blob...things? You could hear them from a mile away."

Henry then nodded again before shaking his head lightly.

"...Yeah...I..I know."

Joey removed his hand from Henry's shoulder, a silence falling over the two men for a good minute before Joey cleared his throat.

"Well...this is certainly an interesting way to start the morning? Heh...nothing like a horrific nightmare to start your mind in a frenzy. Heh heh heh...heh heh...heh..."

Joey lightly chuckled after, rubbing the back of his head as he closed his eyes while he actually spoke, soon opening his eyes before clearing his throat again when he noticed Henry just staring at him, slightly confused, but more...the closest thing he could describe the expression Henry had was...unamused, almost disturbed. Looking down, Joey thought over something to make the morning a bit less tense, kicking a nonexistent rock before he shot his head up and spoke, using a cheerful voice to try to lighten the mood slightly.

"Want some breakfast? We mainly have soup, well...we only have soup, but it's good soup! It's always good to have some nice bacon soup to help start your day"

He says this before walking towards the table, Henry watching him for a minute before he looked around with a narrowed gaze, then he lets out a light breath before joining Joey at the table, who promptly began to dig at the pile of bacon soup, well..."soup"...is a bit of a stretch for that stuff really...Henry still doesn't understand how Joey could possibly stand such a...unique...taste...and consistency. It's so different from the ones he managed to find...what exactly is in those cans of "bacon soup" that Joey found?

Joey brought up two cans, one for Henry, which he slid down to the other man who managed to catch it, and of course one for himself. Henry examined the can, noticing how it almost looked like it was resealed at one point...which was odd...the ones he found didn't have that strange look to them. He also remembered how Joey talked about batches, how there are different ones and how each time he found them they got "better". He noticed how the cans seemed to be slightly smudged with ink...a very thin layer of ink, which isn't too surprising, considering the whole place has multiple areas that are somewhat flooded with ink. But...there was also a light smudge of a ...almost red substance, almost in the shape of a thumb print a bit bigger than his own...which was a bit more concerning. Where exactly did he even find these?

"Henry?"

Henry looked up to see Joey staring at him with furrowed brows, having opened his can already.

"You alright? ...You...kind of spaced out there buddy."

Henry nodded before he grabbed the strange knife, stabbing it into the can and opening it with a great amount of effort. Though less than last time, due to having done it once before. Though he soon began to tap his fingers on the table as he looked at the half opened can.

"...May I ask you...where...did you find these cans of soup?"

Joey raised a brow as he took a sip.

"Well, I found them beside a couple of those cut-outs of Bendy, they were kind of just...there...I think someone left them there, but you know what they say, finders keepers. Plus it's not like these things are in short supply. They're always in the same spot every time I come back and they never seem to run out, so why leave them there to gather dust or get drowned in ink?"

Henry couldn't help but blink once when he explained this, lightly tilting his head before he looked towards Joey and then back towards the can, noting the strange red markings and the ink before straightening his position and furrowing his brows, looking towards Joey once again.

"...You...just found these laying on the ground...in front of Bendy cut-outs?"

His tone was filled with confusion as he spoke this.

"Yeah."

Henry just blinked once again as he ...just began to stare at Joey.

"...What?"

Joey said this before he raised a brow, taking another drink of his can, nearly finishing it then and there.

"...You...don't find it odd...that you keep taking cans...presented in front of Bendy cut-outs...and that those cans keep coming back?"

Henry was concerned...why would someone just...leave cans presented in front of cut-outs...and then constantly replace them? ...Who would do this...is another question he needs answered. Cans don't just appear by themselves, someone has to move them... _someone_ has to take them...someone has to place them. If someone is purposely placing cans in such a manner...then...it's possible they did  something to the cans...which is evident since these cans of bacon soup taste so different from the ones he found just laying about.

"No, it's been happening for a while now, honestly I think it's rather convenient. I can show you where exactly they are when we take our little walk. If you're worried about poisoning, trust me they're fine. I would be dead as a door nail if they were poisoned, considering."

Joey said this before he motioned towards the pile of cans behind him. It still amazed Henry that Joey wasn't feeling as sick as a dog who ate too much dog chow with how much he claims to have eaten in only a week. In fact...he's a lot...cheerier than he remembers him being...especially before he left...

Henry then nodded.

"...Yes...I guess you're right about that...I think visiting that area would be a good idea..."

Henry then stared at the half opened can, deciding to fully open it before he looked over towards Joey, who simply looked at him with a slightly narrowed gaze. It was hard to tell exactly why his eyes were narrowed within the barely lit room...but it made Henry look towards the can once again before he took a single drink, a bit hesitantly.

He had to fight the urge to gag the moment the substance slid down his throat. It was...just as bad as last time...Henry only being able to barely swallow a single drink before he placed a single hand on his chin, putting his index finger on his mouth as he then coughed a little. Joey couldn't help but blink when Henry placed the still mostly full can on the table.

"What's the matter? Not hungry or something?"

Henry shifted his eyes towards him but did not move his head, his body seeming to be begging him to let it purge the substance from his throat. The texture...the taste...the knowledge he found out about the strange cans of soup...it definitely made it harder to actually swallow the stuff when he thought of the possibilities for how the substances even got into the cans in the first place. But he couldn't just say that the bacon soup he was given was disgusting...especially considering that he said it tasted good before. That'd just make him out to be rude and a liar, which wouldn't be good at all to be considered only one of those things...little lone both.

"...Yeah...I...I think I filled up from the day before..."

Joey raised a brow before he shrugged once and finished his own can and tossed it behind him.

"Well, more for me then huh? Heh...You...sure you're alright?"

Henry simply nodded before he seemed to focus upon the surface of the old table. Joey looked at him as he took his can of soup and took a drink from it, letting out a light hum before he finished the can off with one big gulp, soon slamming the can on the table and then stood up, fixing the bow-tie on his suit before he gently patted Henry's shoulder, catching the man's attention and causing him to look up towards him.

"We should get ready for the trip we're going to make. I'm not going to let that slip by, I want to do it and I know that you certainly could use a walk where you won't feel like you'd get attacked at any moment. Plus, it'll teach you about the area we're currently in...err...well near, you know what I mean."

Joey said this before gesturing his hand forward, Henry soon lightly furrowing his brows before he lightly tilted his head."

"Well...I guess...though it's unlikely that anyone could feel at ease with how this place is now...though."

"Oh you worry to much Henry, you really do. Trust me, you'll feel at ease. I'll make certain that you do and that none of those little ankle grabbers try to hurt us. Honestly those are the only things I've had a problem with when I take my walks."

Joey tried to reassure Henry with a confident tone, though Henry's brows furrowed more.

"...You've...never encountered... _him_?"

Joey seemed to freeze up slightly when he spoke of... _him_...the look of terror that appeared in his widened dark gaze caused Henry to worry more. But then Joey lets out a light chuckle before looking down.

"Oh Henry, you're silly. How could anyone not encounter... _him_... _he's_... **everywhere**...but, t-trust me, it'll be fine. I know how to easily get away from him if _he_ **does** show up to ruin the fun. But I highly, highly doubt _he_ will, _he's_...never...been a problem before...heh..."

Henry noticed how Joey seemed to struggle to keep a confident and reassuring tone, fear slipping into some of the words he spoke occasionally...which didn't do much to improve his own confidence. But then Joey clears his throat before he looked towards Henry once again.

"It'll be fine. Just...if it'll make you feel better, bring your axe. That handy tool seems to improve your mood quite a bit."

Henry couldn't help but furrow his brows a bit more before he looked towards the wall the axe leaned on. Before he could ask how he even noticed how the axe made him feel, Joey was already heading for the door, pausing once before he went into the shadows of the room, the sound of rummaging being heard before a small sack appeared.

"I left this here last time I went out, I never realized how handy sacks could be until I tried to carry all those clumsy cans."

Henry raised a brow as Joey placed five cans in the sack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Come on, I got us a snack and everything."

He said this before opening the door, heading out into the darkness outside. Henry sat there for a few seconds, thinking over everything that happened and is still happening...how everything has been wrapped and twisted in a place that used to be filled with so much joy and creativity. It was...almost sad to think how far this place has fallen since he last stepped in it's doors...before he left. Thirty years really does change a lot...and in this case... _ **not** for the better._

He looked towards the axe, soon going over towards it and grabbing it before quickly walking to the still opened door and closed it behind him, soon catching up with Joey in the darkness.


End file.
